McCormick Expands Recall of Products Possibly Tainted with Salmonella

McCormick & Company, Incorporated is expanding its March 5, 2010 recall to include additional products manufactured with HVP (hydrolyzed vegetable protein) supplied by Basic Food Flavors of Las Vegas, Nevada, because the ingredient has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Recalled products were distributed nationwide and sold in retail stores. Two of the recalled products were also distributed for sale in international markets. The following products are being recalled:

McCormick Consumerâ€™s Hotline can be reached toll-free at 1-800-632-5847 and the firmâ€™s email is consumer_affairs@mccormick.com to arrange for a replacement or reimbursement. Live assistance is available on the Hotline from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), Monday through Friday and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST on Saturday and Sunday.

We have been following the growing number of recalls linked to Salmonella contamination at Basic Food Flavors Inc. in Nevada. As of our last report this week, recalls had exceeded 100 products; however, Bloomberg News, citing a Consumers Union scientist, said the number could top 10,000 products.

The FDA announced it is actively investigating findings of Salmonella Tennessee in hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) manufactured by Basic Food Flavors. HVP is a flavor enhancer used in a wide variety of processed food products and that is also often blended with other spices to make seasonings used in or on foods. According to FDAâ€™s release, it conducted an investigation after a customer of an FDA-regulated firm reported finding Salmonella in the HVP ingredient. This resulted in the subsequent recall of the contaminated products. A list of affected products can be found at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/HVPCP/.